Sonal Bhuchar
Carlos Cain, a self-employed oil industry consultant, is challenging Sonal Bhuchar, a physical therapist elected to the FBISD Board in 2006, for a seat on the district’s west side. However, all district residents may vote in the May 9 election.
While the campaign promises to include issues ranging from academic results to finance and student discipline, a proposed “Global Center for Science and Technology” seems to be taking on a symbolic role in the race.
Carlos Cain
Accompanying construction of the facility would be a “standards-based” science program for elementary and middle school students whose components would dovetail with interactive labs that could be used throughout the school year on a classroom by classroom basis.
Laying the foundation for a new emphasis on science instruction would be a three-year program of professional development for science teachers, which in the third year would include lessons on teaching in an “interactive environment.”
Cost of such a facility has not yet been estimated.
“I am in favor of anything that will help our students academically,” Cain said recently. However, “I can’t in good conscience justify spending $40 million or whatever when we don’t have enough copy paper for our teachers, when we’ve got kids sharing textbooks and we’re telling principals we can’t make all the building repairs that are needed.”
On his campaign web site, Cain lists the science proposal at the top of his platform, under the headline “What I Stand For And Why Change Is Needed.”
“Does anyone really believe spending $30 million to $50 million on a ‘State of the Art’ facility will improve ‘test scores?’” the site states. “Instead we should provide ALL books, supplies and equipment necessary for our educators to do the job they were hired to do.”
“How can you oppose something if you don’t know all the facts?” Bhuchar asked, noting that a district-appointed feasibility committee, chaired by former Sugar Land mayor David Wallace, has just begun the first of several community meetings seeking comment on the proposal.
“Everyone has tremendous concerns over the financing of it, myself included. But lets see what they come back with,” she said of the feasibility committee.
Bhuchar called the concept a “great idea,” but only if it can be proven to be fiscally responsible, and only if it is “available to as many students as possible as often as possible.”
At the top of Bhuchar’s priority list is helping the district “stay on course as far as our academics our concerned” and following through with a long-term plan approved by the board three years ago.
Another “very crucial” issue is to work closely with state legislators “and ensure that we have adequate funding,” Bhuchar said.
She also wants to see that a relatively new student leadership program continues, which focuses on high school juniors, exposes them to the world of business, among other things, and presents “a phenomenal opportunity for them. It’s a great model.”
The long-term plan Bhuchar referred to governs a wide variety of district activities, including academic academies being put in place at some middle and high schools, human resources issues, and academic and disciplinary policies.
Cain points to some of those policies as being illustrative of why he believes change is needed on the FBISD Board, especially those falling under what he referred to as the district’s “zero tolerance” policy.
“This policy with truancy – 8% of the student body getting citations? This has just gotten completely out of control,” Cain said. “I’d like to see some common sense applied.”
“And this little gal that had a play prop in the back seat of her car, Ruining someone’s life over a play prop? It’s as if she drug up a real sword in the classroom,” he said, referring to a National Honor Society student at Bush High School who was suspended from school.
“If I’m elected to represent the people, it’s their needs I will look out for, and I don’t think that’s happening now.”
What type of consulting work in particular does Mr. Cain do for the oil industry?
(Perhaps Mr. Cain did not notice the question above I asked the first time in #12. …and if nobody knows or wants to answer or if Mr. Cain does not visit the forum again to answer himself or simply does not care to…I’m o.k. with that.)
Dear Mr. Cain,
I am not sure whether your support would benefit anyone.
The new school board members claimed to have been interested in the teacher, the classroom and teacher issues.
That has not been the case at all.
To answer your question, you would need to refer back to meetings held by the School board. However, I do know that the raise that they approved was just a basic raise. The entire raise estimate was not approved.
The insurance issues would have to be applicable to everyone in the district, para’s, teachers and administrators.
The raise, even if it were offset by the insurance increase, is not enough for even school administrators. Much less teachers…
The bottom line is that Katy teachers are paid more as well as Alief teachers. Fort Bend does not pay its employees as much as surrounding districts. This is not acceptable when everyone is moving to Fort Bend and teachers, custodians, administrators, paraprofessionals are dealing with an influx of children and more issues not considered before. Teachers are leaving to Lamar and Katy and even HISD.
It is my understanding (educators please correct or verify this) that the “Raise” was offset by a reduction in health and prescription drug benefits which basically wiped out the increase. And I fail to see how 5 or 6 field trips a year to this facility will have any significant impact on test scores.
http://www.fbisdreform.org
Bravo rocketag.
I would like to note also that Jenny did the same thing in Virginia with a similar project. It is noted on FortBendNow.
I’ll bet he already knew his agenda when the budget was adopted, he proposed his “CEOs” and hired them.
I can remember his dissent for pay raises for all our hardworking Fort Bend Employees.
Yes, we need to take care of our discipline, take care of our campus staff, its supplies for our kids, and basically more support for the infrastructure of our schools to make Fort Bend the best district in the state, not a mediocre district.
FBISD INCUMBENTs CANDIDATES have fail to work an set public
committees. We need elected officials willling to offer the public its needs, for higher education with higher paying skills teachers.
MaryMcClure what does Mr.Cain consulting work have to do with anything?
What type of consulting work in particular does Mr. Cain do for the oil industry?
A field trip or two to the Global Science Super Center will not significantly raise test scores. Period. Besides, we want more for our kids than high test scores on one portion of TAKS.
We want our children to become employable and to be able to compete globally someday. I want my child to be challenged each day. I want his teacher to have enough paper and supplies. I want his teacher to be knowledgeable and be able to manage a classroom. I want classes to be small enough to allow for in-depth instruction. I want FBISD to treat excellent teachers with respect and appreciation. I want the kid in the oldest FBISD school to have access to the same type of supplies and equipment (daily) as a kid in the newest school.
Children are significantly impacted by the things and the people they see daily. Give me a good teacher and a well-structured school over an IMAX movie any day.
We (Sugar Land) just approved the commercial development of the Brazos – entertainment complex, minor league stadium, etc…can this “Global Science” wait while we deal with over-crowded schools, lack of supplies, etc. and some of the money from this development go towards the Global Science..?
That was- the board and the Board President will just continue with the warm fuzzies for Dr Jenney. Please some one with common sense, are you out there?
I share Mr. Cain’s frustration- it is the same frustration that every taxpayer in the District and the parent on the east side should be venting! The District should have some preliminary answers for the public during their grand presentation. The fact that all they have is a bunch of pretty pictures put to U2′s “beautiful day,” and then have some high school kid get up and spend almost as much time as David Wallace promoting it is ridiculous! If I made a presentation like that to my boss and had no preliminary figures to support it I would be standing in line at the Texas Work Force Commission looking for a job and an unemployment check.
One of the presenters even had the nerve to mention that children would recieve instruction on the buses to and from the “center” (museum). Has this lady spent any time in a bus with children on a field trip, not to mention tried talking over a diesel engine? Just as unrealistic as this proposal.
But the superintendent will do whatever he wants after soliciting the opinion of the public.
The board and the Board present will just sit there gushing over the Superintendent and his administration’s presentations.
Maybe the Board Feasiblity Group is simply looking the other way, repeating “We hear nothing, We see nothing, We know nothing” in order to avoid being blamed for allowing things to have gotten as far as they have already.
Mike:Thank you for the considering the vote for Mr.Cain.
However,Mr Cain is not yelling,he is pointing out “The Facts”
My opinon the board has not said how much the cost is or,the exactly compainies have agree to pay for or half of the project.The board has been DEAD SILENT!!!
Boss:you said Give us your best guess on the cost.
How about the real cost of the project.
By the way she(Sonal Bhuchar)came out with this acticle against Mr.Cain.Why does she reply just like Mr.Cain does?
O!It’s the same way the react “SILENT”
Someone at the school district must have some idea of the cost. How can we make a decision when we do not have all the facts ? That is the first question the school board should have asked – are we talking about 10 million or 200 million?
Is Bhuchar afraid to ask the question to the FBISD admin? Give us all the facts Sonal. – Give us your best guess on the cost- show some leadership like you promised us.
Mr. Cain, if I am going to consider voting for you you will first need to stop yelling. It is reasonable to ask questions and support different spending for our schools. As for the proposed new facility, why can’t we all go through the process of community meetings and questions and answers and see what the final proposal is – then if we don’t like it stop it. All of the rudeness and accusations do not help – they push citizens aside and they certainly do not teach our children, who this is ultimately about, how to have civil debates.
As a matter of fact we that is the problem – WE DON’T HAVE ALL THE FACTS! PLEASE PROVIDE US ALL THE FACTS!
Please tell us the REAL PRICETAG? The fact that no one seems to know tells me you DO KNOW AND IT’S WAY MORE THAN ANYONE WANTS TO ADMIT!
I’ll tell you a fact. It’s a DONE DEAL! That public forum wasn’t to gather info. It was a more of a media release.
I’ll give you a fact. THE STUDENTS NEED BOOKS, COMPUTERS AND LABS THAT WORK. You know, the things they NEED to use DAILY. Not ONE WEEK A YEAR!
I’ll give you a fact. We’re surrounded by facilities that are available to schools for field trips.
But I’m sure these are not the facts you were referring to. So please, give us ALL THE FACTS.
http://www.fbisdreform.org
Sonal, what has happened to you concern with the budget, and not supporting a decent pay raise that is competitive with surrounding districts to attract and to keep our teachers? What about our para’s and our bus drivers?
The board made such an issue about salaries and deficit as well as managing our budget for the sake of our tax payers and our community.
Now, this has come up.
Also, the Technology issues in our district our entirely insufficient and need to have more money pumped in to fix.
Finally, budget issues on our campus are affecting our staff, supplies and class size.
I hope to God you are not re-elected.
A question for Sonal Bhuchar (If she reply or comes to this wedsite) is Cost Proposed ‘Global Science’ Center and who is picking up some of the cost?
Mr.Cain same question apply to you too.
Thank You